Is Tri-Rail worth saving?

The Legislature has unplugged Tri-Rail’s life support. Tangled up in a controversy over creating a new commuter rail in the Orlando area, lawmakers once again failed to give Tri-Rail the steady source of funding it needs to survive. Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties have been contributing $7 million a year, but they say they can’t afford that anymore. And even though high gas prices doubled ridership to a record 15,000, it’s not nearly enough, even with higher ticket prices, to keep the trains running.

Tri-Rail can stay alive a bit longer by cutting service to 30 trains from 50 trains. But without government help Tri-Rail will have to shut down in 18 months. Will that make the roads more crowded? Do most drivers care? Does the region need to continue its 20-year experiment with mass transit?